But what does it mean to handle decisions well? Our experience with high-performing organizations suggests that the following guidelines are critical:

• Decision quality matters - but it's not all that matters. Companies have to make the right decision more often than not. But they also have to make decisions quickly, execute them effectively, and avoid spending too much or too little effort in the process.
• Winners focus on the decisions that matter most. They identify the big, high-value decisions that every organization must make, and they ensure that those decisions work well. But they also understand that small everyday decisions - the kind that are made over and over again, often by people on or near the front line - can matter as much as the big ones.
• Companies can "reset" decisions that are sources of trouble. A systematic process of analyzing the what, who, how, and when of each troubled decision can put people on the path to good, speedy decision making and execution.
• The best companies build an integrated organizational system geared to support key decisions. These companies address both the "hard" issues, such as structure, roles, and processes, and the "soft" ones, such as talent management, leadership behaviors, and organizational culture.
• Lasting impact requires embedding new decision capabilities and behaviors. Companies need to equip people at all levels with the skills and abilities to decide and deliver, day in and day out.

To find out more about Bain's work in this capability area, please contact the Organization practice.